27 | WORLD TERRORISM | Chadian troops left on Saturday for Cameroon and Nigeria to fight insurgents Suicide bomber kills four at Nigeria bus station as Chad deploys troops Attacker slowed his car twice and suddenly increased speed and rammed into buses waiting for passengers KANO, Sunday a bus station in Potiskum, northeastern Nigeria, police and hospital sources told AFP. There was no immediate claim A of responsibility, but the town has often come under attack from Boko Haram militants. Last Sunday, it was the scene of a bombing in a crowded market carried out by two female suicide attackers, one believed to be aged around 15. Witnesses to the latest at- tack said the explosion ripped through the bus station at Tashar Kunne, on the outskirts of town, at around 10:30 am (0930 GMT). “(The bomber) slowed his car twice... some distance from the bus station and he suddenly increased speed and rammed into buses lined up waiting for passengers,” local trader Umar Sani said. A police officer said four bod- ies and 48 injured people had been taken from the scene. A nurse at the Potiskum General Hospital gave a similar death and injury toll, and said local residents had rushed to the hospital in search of their loved ones. She described the suicide bomber as a young man. Combat Islamists Brutal raids, massacres, We cannot remain indifferent to what happens to our neighbours,” Chadian President Idriss Deby suicide bomb attacks and kidnappings by Boko Haram have claimed at least 13,000 lives and driven an estimated 1.5 million people from their homes, mainly in arid northeast Nigeria. Neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger have launched a regional bid to combat the Islamists, as their attacks spread beyond Nigeria and concern mounts over the failure of Nigerian authorities to regain control. The military moves come after the Islamists seized the town of Baga town on the shores of Lake Chad earlier this month in what many say could be Boko Haram’s suicide bomber killed four people and wounded dozens today in an attack on DAILY NATION Monday January 19, 2015 SIX MILLION GATHER FOR MASS WITH POPE IN MANILA Pope Francis drew a record 6m people as he celebrated in the Philippines. Pg 31 Soldier killed in UN Mali camp attack BAMAKO, Sunday A peacekeeper with the UN force in Mali was killed early on Saturday when gunmen launched a fresh attack on the camp housing UN troops in the country’s north, UN officials said. “Terrorists attacked the Mi- nusma camp” in the early morning hours on Saturday, a source with the UN force told AFP. “Minusma soldiers responded and unfortunately one Chadian soldier was killed, another injured.” The attack was swiftly slammed by the UN Security Council and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Raid condemned “The Secretary-General strongly Estimated number of displaced people mainly in northeast Nigeria 1.5m PHOTO | AFP HELPING HAND Lukewarm support Nigeria expressed lukewarm support for the Chad mission. “All support for our operations will be welcome, but it must conform with our own ongoing operations,” Nigerian army spokesman Chris Olukolade told AFP. deadliest attack. Satellite pictures released by Amnesty and Human Rights Watch last week showed widespread destruction with around 3,700 buildings in Baga and nearby Doron Baga damaged or destroyed. Amnesty says as many as 2,000 civilians may have been massacred, but Nigeria’s army objected to the “sensational” A rally in N’Djamena, Chad, on Saturday to show support for the decision to send troops to fight Nigeria’s Boko Haram. Cameroon, Chad and Niger have launched an anti-Boko Haram offensive. claims and said that the death toll in Baga was about 150. Elsewhere in Chad, tens of thousands of people joined a march in N’Djamena on Saturday in support of Chadian troops heading to Nigeria and Cameroon to fight the Islamist group Boko Haram. Marching some five kilo- metres (three miles) through Chad’s capital, demonstrators waved the national flag and chanted in French and Arabic: “Kick the forces of evil out of our territory.” Prime Minister Kalzeube Pahimi Deubet said the march sent “a strong signal, a warning to Boko Haram”. The event came as a huge convoy set off from N’Djamena to combat the Islamists sowing terror in northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon. Thousands of locals hailed the arrival of some 400 vehicles in the Cameroonian border town of Kousseri, an AFP journalist reported. Early this month Boko Haram launched a full-scale assault on the strategic town of Baga on the banks of Lake Chad, which straddles the borders of Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon. Chad is part of a regional force against Boko that was based in Baga — but both Chad and Niger had withdrawn their troops before the January 3 attack. Chadian President Idriss Deby said in a speech read by the speaker of parliament that the new deployment aimed to recapture Baga. “We answered the call of (Cameroon’s) President Paul Biya. We cannot remain indifferent to what happens to our neighbours,” Deby said as his troops crossed into Cameroon. “Cameroon must not be left alone to face this threat that has so hurt innocent people in Cameroon and in Nigeria” he added, calling for a “broad coalition” to fight Boko Haram. (AFP) condemns the attack on a camp of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (Minusma) that took place today in Kidal,” his spokesman said. “These attacks will not alter the determination of the United Nations to support the Malian people in its search for peace. This latest attack only highlights the urgency of reaching a political settlement to end the conflict and enable the full restoration of State authority across the entire Malian territory,” the statement added. (AFP) BRIEFLY ANTANANARIVO 6 die as tropical storm lashes Madagascar At least six people perished in a tropical storm that battered Madagascar over the past two days, affecting almost 80,000 residents, according to an official toll published on Sunday. Local radio said as many as 13 people may have died, including two in the capital, Antananarivo. Tropical storm Chedza swept through Madagascar on Friday and Saturday, adding to the country’s woes after the Cabinet resigned last week in the face of protests over recurring blackouts. A meteorological report warned there was still a danger of flooding in certain areas around the capital. (AFP) Libya army declares ceasefire after United Nations talks BENGHAZI, Sunday Libya’s army announced a ceasefire today, joining an Islamist-backed militia alliance in declaring a truce that the UN hailed as a “significant” step towards ending months of violence. “We declare a ceasefire from mid- night Sunday,” the army said, stressing however that it would continue to pur- sue “terrorists”, as UN-brokered peace talks resume in Geneva this week. The army also said it would monitor the situation on the ground “to prevent any change in front lines or transportation of weapons and ammunition,” which it would consider a violation of the truce. Soldiers “have been given the right to defend themselves if they come under fire,” the statement added. The UN’s Libya mission welcomed the ceasefire as a “significant contribution” to the country’s peace process. Pursue duty Libyan armed forces spokesman Colonel Ahmed Mesmari said the army was “engaged in pursuing its duty to protect the Libyan people”. He said the military would “ensure the security and stability of the country and combat terrorism” in Libya. On Friday, the Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) militia alliance said it had agreed to a ceasefire in the North African country on the condition rival factions respected the truce. UN special envoy to Libya Ber- nardino Leon (left), had warned at the start of the talks last week that they were a last-ditch effort to prevent all-out chaos. (AFP)